This will be Festival Arts 50th summer season performing in St.Davids, Pembrokeshire!
50 years ago Festival Arts Theatre Company first performed in St. Davids. Over the last half-century we have become a huge family, with hundreds of actors, artists and musicians coming together to produce a diverse and eclectic range of shows, from medieval Mystery Plays to Victorian comedy and melodrama, children’s theatre, rehearsed readings and recitals, and of course Shakespeare, amongst many others.
We have always worked with young people, mainly from the Birmingham area (where we are based) but with many members from Pembrokeshire and indeed all over the country. We work throughout the year in Birmingham, producing at least one show a year there, but we are always looking towards our summer season in Pembrokeshire.
Our aim has always been to create theatre that utilises the strengths of the performers and creative people that take part. It’s not all about acting; our young members are given the chance to be part of music, lighting, set design and painting, costume, and all aspects of theatre production. Crew work is shared equally, with everyone setting up and striking the shows and moving the productions in and out of venues. A vital part of our ethos is that all members are equal, and share responsibility for the success of the shows. There are no 'stars', we all pitch in and produce theatre of the highest quality possible. This is the method we have used to stage hundreds of productions since our inception 50 years ago.
We have always been lucky enough to be able to work in the stunning St. Davids Bishop’s Palace, but we have put on shows all over the Pembrokeshire area, in Solva, Haverfordwest, Tenby and Fishguard, as well as our current base, the village of Mathry. We have achieved this by working closely with Cadw and their predecessors in the former Ministry of Works, and through our close connections to the community in St. Davids, Haverfordwest, Solva and all over this beautiful county. We are very grateful for all the support we have received from Cadw and the local Pembrokeshire community over the years
This year we have chosen two long-standing company favourites to perform. A Midsummer Night’s Dream needs no introduction, being Shakespeare’s eternally popular romantic comedy. The Land of Green Ginger is a rollicking musical adaptation of a children’s story written by legendary Hollywood screenwriter Noel Langley. We'll also be performing our special Sunday show on 5th & 12th August which this year is called Painting Box. Read more about it here. All three shows promise to be enormous fun!
Our season of performances run from 31st July until 16th August.
We very much hope you’ll come and join us and help us celebrate our 50th season!